The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-04-21

MORNING EXPERIENCE AND WHAT IL
| sszy-s+s+s WAS ALL ABOUT.
1t wasn't exactly the thing one would do
for fun-that long wait. of a long line Of
men and women, on a cold March morning.
what was it all about ~
That was the very question the hundreds
of people who went past in the street cars
looked, and, no doubt, asked each other, and
failing to get answer, went wandering on
their way.
But can tell you. for was there. One
| of the line which, beginning with half
| dozen at alittle after O'Clock, had increas-
ed to near fifteen hundred, and trailed out
for blocks away before the long, tapering
fingers of the clock dial on the tower Of
the Providence depot down the avenue had
pointed to aquarter of 10. Then the doors
of the cadets armory were opened, and
| with Gordon of policemen to prevent a
rush, the cline" took up it's march in sin
gle file, packed as closely as the prisoners
of the Albany penitentiary are, when, in
I'one unbroken chain of humanity, they move
from workshop to cells. After marching
entirely around the spacious hall we were
stood up against the wall like young folks
at spelling bee-only sre did not stand
still, but managed, all we hundreds, to
mark time land there was a sort of
rhymthic music in the sound of the tramp,
tramp, although we knew if words were set
1 70 tbou uou1d Op1U hp-
Cold feet! cold feet!
We make this racket
To warm our cold feet
| for the invitation committee had not pro-
vided for the comfort of its guests by hay
| ing the paving stones heated for them to
stand upon.
What was it all about ?"
Boston has ways peculiar to herself. Nat
urally the Hub chooses it's own manner of
going around, regardless of the way the
spokes point. Like the spider-web pattern.
on which the streets are laid out, these
| things are as clear as mud to a real Bosto-
MAN, but to the "man from up country .
they are. like the theory of the northern
| lights, Slightly mixed. This morning s ex
perience am telling you about is the re-
suit of one of Boston's pecularities. Be
ing sojourner at the Hub am falling
into the practices of the bubbles.
"Cold?''
Yes, it acds cold; and the sun crept up tt
peer over the tau buildings in a way that
made me think of the lines
Zekle crep' up quite unbeknown
An peeked in thru the winder.'
4 1 wonder if it was because there wer,
fewer men than women in that long lin
that the sun mudestly drew thin veil owe
| its shining face. Perhaps the fact tina
} the number of women in the Bay Stat
greatly exceeds that of the men is know
| on that globe, and resolution to tax
no chances y has been adopted. At an
rate, a bookblack who didn't $ shine F." bet
ter than the sun did would tote y his bo
and brush the live-long day without earn
, ing dime.
What were we there for? y
Il That is what want to tell you. No;
) shan't forget it, for it was altogether neN
experience to me, although it needn't hay
been, for this was by no means the frs
time this winter that hundreds of peopl
have stood in the cold, gray morning watcf
ing the hands on that clock dial and wait
ing for the armory doors to swing ope1
But not being Bostoniau, you see, l di
not know of this popularity. But kpo
all about it now, and that is what am g
ing to tell you.
Foolish people ?n you say.
) 0, no! That line was one to be proud
stand in. There wasn't a "fool-face
4 there. Culture, thought, intellectual pu
l. suits hadleft their impress on nearly eve1
one. Next behind me stood man ar
woman deeply engaged in a discussion
>. metaphysics; her teeth chartered but h
9 face was aglow with animation, (BetWee
you ard l, tits an unusually cold day whit
a BostOnian does not brighten over the dl
cussion of scientific topic.1 Ahead